Frank b



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. B. WIDMAYER; OOLIDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Patented May 28, 1895.

INVENTOR I v ATTORNEYS No. 540,010, V

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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(No Model.) 7 Q I I. B. WIDMAYER. GONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY. No. 540,010.Patented May 28, 1895.

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WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

FRANK B. WIDMAYER, on NEW YORK, JN/Y, ASSIGNOB or ONE-HALF To CHARLES E.BALL, OF SAME PLACE. a

CONDU IT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,010, dated May 28,1895. Application filed hugust 3, 1894:. Serial No. 519,340. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WIDMAYER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York city, county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful To these and other ends my inventioncon- '1 sists in'the various novel and peculiar arrangements andcombinations of the several, parts of the apparatus, all as hereinafterfully described and then pointed out in the claims. I have illustratedatype of my invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 isa sectional view of an electric- ,railway system embodying myimprovements, the section being taken on a plane extending verticallyand longitudinally through the con duit. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailview of one of the contact-boxes shown in section on a vertical planeparallel with the main conductor, as indicated by line 2 2, Fig.3. Figs.3 and 4 are sectional views, on a transverse vertical plane, through oneof the contactboxes, as indicated by line 3 3, Fig. 1, the formershowing the circuit-completer in normal open position, while Fig. atshows it in closed position. 5 Referring to the drawings, in whichlikenumbers of reference designate like parts throughout, 5 indicates anordinary electrically-propelled car moving on the usual tracks 6, 6. Aconduit 8, extends continuously along the road parallel therewith and isprovided with a slot 9, into which projects a contactplow or shoe 10adapted to travel through the conduit as the car moves. Thiscontact-plow is connected by a circuit 7 with the motor 5 which propelsthe'car,the motor itself not being shown as such illustration is notnecessary to the understanding of my invention as any of the well knownforms of motors may be used. From the motor the current-is led 50 bycircuit 7 to the wheels of the car from which it returns by the cartrack or an earth return to the source of electricity or dynamoindicated at 20. In the present construction this plowserves the doublefunction of a current conductor and means for actuating successively aseries of normally open circuitcompleters 11, 11, and thereby completingthe circuit between the car motor and the mainconductor or feeder 12,but it is manifest that these two functions may be performed each byaseparate partinstead of both by one part. The main-conductor 12 isarranged along the interior of the conduit at'a suitable point thereinand is of course thoroughly insulated,

and in addition it is completely incased within a water-tight covering,tube or duct 14, through which at certain intervals are passedreciprocating-rods 13 of the circuitcompleters. Each of thecircuit-completers comprises one of these rods 13 which carries at itsinner end a contact-member 15 adapted to make good electric contact withthe mainconductor 12, which is laid bare or exposed at particular pointsfor this purpose.

The water tight covering or tube let may be of uniform size throughoutif preferred, though I have shown it as provided with en-. largements orboxes 16 at the points where the circuit-completers are to have accessto the conduct-orthe design being in any case to8o' have the insulatedmain-conductor housed in a water-tight casing with certain points ofaccess thereto by the circuit-completers.

At the point where the reciprocating-rod l3 enters thecovering orcasing, there is provided a water-tight joint or stuffing box 17, asshown clearly in Fig. 2, in order to exclude. water from the casing atthe same time permitting free movement of the reciprocatingrod of thecircuit-completely 0 Within each of the enlargements or boxes 16 isarranged an insulated supporting bracket 19, to which the main-conductoris securely fastened, and the boxes themselves may be made fast to theinterior of the conduit by means of suitable bolts passing through theperforated ears 21 on the boxes as indicated in Fig. 2.

The lower end of the reciprocating rod 13,

is connected, preferably by means of a pivot to;

22, to one end of a rock-lever 18, which tilts on a horizontal axis 23.The other end of the rock-lever is forked at 24 so as to loosely receive a pin 25 projecting laterally from the foot of avertically-reciprocating bar 26 which works in a suitable bearing 27 andis provided at its head with a contact-piece or wheel 28.

preferred the contact-piece 28 and the recip-' rocating-rod 13 may be inelectrical com munication through means of the bar 26 and the rock-lever18, instead of being insulated from such parts and connected by aflexible wire as shown.

Each of the rocking circuit-completers is counterweighted by means of asuitable weight 30, which is shown as formed on the end of therock-lever 18, so that when in normal position the contact wheel ormember 28 stands at its highest position of vertical movement and thereciprocating-rod remains at its lowest limit of movement therebykeeping the same normally open as shown more particularly in Fig. 3.,

When now the contact plow traveling through the conduit its curved orrounded end collides with the contact wheel or device 28 lying in thepath thereof, it depresses the bar 26 and elevates the reciprocating-rodthereby completing the circuit from the main to the motor. Thiscondition continues during the time that the plow or shoe is inengagement with the contact 28. Upon the disengagement of these parts bythe traveling movement of the plow, the circuit-completer is restored tonormal position by the force of gravity since the construction is suchthat when the contact 28 isdisengaged from the plow the counterweightwill at once cause the reciprocating-rod to gravitate into its lowestposition and cause the contact member to fall away from themain-conductor.

In order to guard against the lack of proper adjustment causing thecircuit-completers to fail in making good contact, I make a part of thecircuit-completer telescopic and provide it with a spring. The partsselected for this purpose in order to illustrate it is thereciprocating-rod 13 as shown in Fig. 2. This rod is made so as totelescope on its length and is provided with a spring 35 which normallyholds the telescoping parts extended. When the circuit-completer isforcibly moved the contact 15 will be held against the main-conductor bya yielding pressure which will compensate for any lack of adjustment ofthe parts.

From the foregoing description the operation of my invention will bereadily understood. The main conductor being connected with the dynamo20 it is continually supplied with current and normally thecircuit-completers are open. The circuit-completers are arranged atequi-distant points apart and at such intervals that the contact-plowwhich may be fifteen or thirty feet in length as desired, can engage-notmore than two nor less than one of the circuit-completers. In this waythe plow keeps the circuit on the motor since there is at all times atleast one of the circuit-completers closed by the presence of the plowwhich passes in succession over the series of them, they each beingautomatically 8o brought into circuit by the plow and then after it haspassed allowed to automatically cut itself out of the circuit and remaindead or inert until it is again actuated by a plow. Since never morethan two of the circuit-com- 8 5 pleters can be closed at the same time,the conduit can be nearly filled with water which may be the result ofaccident or flood and yet the system will be operative. If alowpotential be used the conduit and trackcan be'como pletely filled withwaterwithout preventing the system from working.

I wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the specificconstruction herein shown as the same may be variously modified 5without departing from the spirit of the invention. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patout, is

1. In an electric railway, the combination of an electrically-propelledcar provided with means for depressing and actuating successively aseries of normally disconnectedcir cuit-completers, a main conductorincased in-1o5 a waterproof covering or tube, a series of normally opencircuit-completers located at intervals along the railway and eachcomprising a horizontally-pivoted lever 18, a vertically-reciprocatingrod 13 suitably counter- IIO weighted and connected at its lower endwith the lever 18, the upper end of said rod work ing through astuffing-box 17 and projecting into the interior of said waterproofcovering or tube and provided therein with a contact I15 15 for closingon the main, a vertically-reciprocating bar 26 connected with the otherend of said lever 18 and provided upon its upper end with a contactroller 28 for engaging with said depressing device on the car, an insu-12o lated' electrical connection 29 connecting said contact on the bar26 with the upper end of the reciprocating rod 13, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a main conductor incasedin a waterproof covering or tube, a series of circuit-completersnormally open and arranged at intervals along the road, anelectrically-propelled car provided with means for successively throw 1o ing into operation said circuit completers each of which comprises ahorizontally-pivoted lever 18, having a vertically-moving bar 26connected to one end thereof and a verti- In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my invention I have signed my name, in pres- 1ocallyreciprocating telescoping rod 13 oonence of two Witnesses, this 1stday of August, neeted to the other end of said lever and working througha stufling-box 17 in said covering or tube and provided therein with acontact 15 for closing on the main, substantially as and for the purposeset forth FRANK B. WIDMAYER. Witnesses:

GEORGE E. BALDWIN,

WILLIS FOWLER.

